Modern physical systems, such as those used in aircraft, are becoming more and more complex. This increase in system complexity has led to an increased desire for automated prognostic and health monitoring systems. Many prognostic and health monitoring systems receive signals or data representative of one or more physical parameters from various components and/or subsystems within a system. The prognostic and health monitoring systems may then use the signals or data to, for example, predict future system performance and/or detect or predict potential component or subsystem faults.
One particular aircraft system in which prognosis and health monitoring capability is becoming increasingly desirable is aircraft engine systems. To provide such capability, however, several sensors of varying types may be mounted on the engine to sense various physical parameters associated with engine operation. These sensors may be coupled to a central processing unit such as, for example, a Full Authority Digital Engine Controller (FADEC) using wiring and multiple wiring harnesses. These wiring and wiring harnesses used to couple the sensors to the central processing unit can increase overall system weight and cost, and can reduce overall system reliability.
Hence, there is a need for a system and method of providing signals and/or data representative of various aircraft engine parameters that does not use wiring and multiple wiring harnesses and/or reduces the overall impact on system weight and cost and/or does not reduce overall system reliability. The present invention addresses one or more of these needs.